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Jimmy Wilkins left Ohio for California in February 2011, just a few weeks after graduating from high school a semester early. It’s not that he didn’t like Ohio’s weather, but there wasn’t a suitable skate park within 100 miles of his hometown of Bexley.

After many years of traveling to Kentucky to skate on weekends, Wilkins had to make a change to fully chase his dream of being an X Games champion.

“I needed to be in an environment to skate with other people and learn,” Wilkins said. “I was able to start having more fun and try new things.”

When Wilkins became the youngest winner of an X Games skateboard vert event on June 5 in Austin, Texas, he surprised just about everyone in skating. In fact, he might have been the only person who wasn’t surprised.

“I’ve been working hard the last six months,” Wilkins said, “and I think I’ve found a consistency with some of the tricks I’ve been working on.”

Wilkins, 20, was in a field of skaters that featured eight-time champion Pierre-Luc Gagnon and four-time defending champion Bucky Lasek. Gagnon, who’s 34, and Lasek (41) started skating before Wilkins was born.

Despite the big stage, Wilkins performed his best in the biggest moment. It’s something he has done since he started skating when he was 10, his father said.

“He’s always found a way to perform at his best when he’s under the most pressure,” Chris Wilkins said. “He worked at it and worked at it.”

Chris saw something different out of his son at this competition, however. One trick in particular allowed Jimmy to score enough points to win. It was the 540 Ollie, during which the skater and the board spin 11/2 turns through the air, all while the skater doesn’t use his hands to grab the board.

Chris described it as “physics-defying.”

“I feel like you have zero control over the board when you’re in the air like that,” Chris said. “Only a few people have ever been able to do that in a run, but for some reason it’s natural to Jimmy.”

Bob Leffer owns Ollie’s Skatepark in Florence, Ky., where Chris used to take Jimmy to skate. Leffer, who used to skate on the vert ramp, hasn’t seen Wilkins since he lived in Ohio and said he was surprised by the skateboarder’s improvement.

“I always knew he was a great skater, but not quite this good,” Leffer said. “I gave him a few pointers a long time ago, but he’s beyond those now.”

Wilkins is preparing for the Dew Tour in Ocean City, Md., starting on Wednesday. He said he hasn’t changed anything.